Objective:
Development of a new generation of avian vaccines based on canarypox virus (specifically excluded from the research to be performed under this agreement is research being performed under CRADA No. 58-3K95-9-1380, which relates to the development of Newcastle Disease vaccines using recombinant Newcastle Disease virus strains).

Approach:
There is now clear scientific evidence demonstrating that poxvirus based live vaccines are excellent tools to express proteins and cytokines and these vaccines can affect the host response and the outcome of future challenges. We will incorporate genes of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and avian influenza, together with avian cytokines that are known to be capable on increasing the innate and humoral responses into a recombinant canarypox backbone. Canarypox recombinant vaccine viruses will be used to deliver antigens during viral replication and to specifically enhance localized and systemic immune responses. The ability of these new vaccines to protect against NDV and avian influenza of different serotypes will be tested by challenging vaccinated chickens.
With the purposes of creating more safe and effective vaccines we propose to create a project of collaboration intended to create new genetically enhanced canarypox vaccines against avian pathogens. Antigen corresponding to important avian pathogens, including Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and avian influenza will be expressed together with chicken cytokines genes to enhance the immunogenic and protective properties of canarypox viruses. This proposal, which complements, but does not overlap our ongoing research, will involve the exchange of plasmid and genetic material (including viruses) between the Southeast Poultry Research laboratory (SEPRL) and Instituto Nacional de Technologia Agropecuaria (INTA), as well as the testing of vaccines in chickens for protection against NDV and avian influenza at the SEPRL laboratories and the joint development of canarypox vaccines at both INTA and SEPRL.